Good Intentions and Word Apprehensions

I take a bus to work. Two, actually. Soon I'll be getting a bike and then I'll split the journey between the two transport modes, but the point of my introduction is that it takes a good amount of time to get to work (which I don't mind since hey, I'm not the one driving the bus). I usually just put on my ipod, take in the view around me, and sort through my thoughts. Today I had one in particular that I wanted to share...

My mom goes to yoga 3-4 times a week, and before each time she asks me to help her set her "intention." At the Yoga Shelter, they ask you to set one before you begin practicing, so that you have a focus and purpose to your yoga session. I'll give Mom suggestions like "feel good in your body" or "don't laugh when someone farts," those sorts of helpful hints. It occurred to me that I want to set an intention every day on my way to work to make sure I'm not taking any of my days here for granted. By consciously choosing what I want to get out of my day, I'm hoping to make sure that everyday gives me gifts AND that I realize it. So today I decided my intention was to a) enjoy myself, and b) learn from the people around me. I'm sure I will reuse these two, but I want purposefully decide each morning what my intention is for the day. Not laughing when someone farts should be a part of that as well.

Outside of work, I spend a good amount of my time (seven hours per week) at Dutch class. I LOVE IT! Yes, yes, I'm a HUGE nerd, especially when it comes to language. And it's really nice to take a class for me, not for a grade or for a requirement, but just so I can learn. There's no pressure, no kicking myself if I get something wrong, I'm really just there to soak it all in. I've never experienced learning like this and it's *awesome*. My teacher is really great- she speaks in that nice, even teacher voice that's never too fast and always encouraging, and the other students create a sense of "we're all in this together." I am the youngest of the group and the only American (there's a Canadian, so we can count that I guess) and it's a great mix of people to learn with.

I have different Dutch skills from the rest of the class, so it makes things a little tough sometimes. I know the grammar very well, and I'm easily one if not a few levels above the class when it comes to that. However with speaking I am behind, because I can study my Dutch book all day all summer (which, um, I did), but I could never practice speaking it. The first day of class, the teacher kept trying to get me to talk more and I almost said, "you might want to buy me a drink, then I'll talk in Dutch til the day is DONE!" Additionally, I speak Holland Dutch, not Flemish, so my pronunciation is often different. Neither is right or wrong, but I'm being taught one way, and I've already learned another. It gets tricky sometimes, but I keep trying to remember I'm not wrong, just different (I think Mom's been saying that to me since I was 4...)

What I do love the most about Dutch is how simple I am in that language. I'm not a complicated person with issues, since I don't know how to say those things! In Dutch, I have red hair, I come from America, and I find waffles delicious. I'm not a commitmentphobe, I have no anxiety, and the most emotional thing I can tell you is "I miss my Mommy." It's awesome. Life is easier in Dutch!

These pictures are from my walk to the bus after class- my camera has a night setting, but the pictures come out blurry anyway (hmm). You can get an idea, however, of how beautiful Brugge is at night. During the day the medieval buildings are stunning; at night, lights illuminate the structures from below, causing a breathtaking scene. And it's only a 10 minute walk!


Dutch words learned this adventure:
vrijwilliger/vrijwilligster- volunteer
vlug- fast
voorstad (van)- suburb (of) ik kom uit een voorstad van DETROIT!
uitslapen- to sleep in
nijlpaard- hippopotumus, literally "Nile horse"
slordig/net- untidy/neat, little Valerie/always Amanda
rommel- mess
rommelmarkt- flea market
zaklamp- flashlight
schoot- lap (the noun where you can sit, not the dog-licking-water verb)

Life lessons learned this adventure:
-Be yourself, even if you don't know the socially accepted convention. Sometimes just being you is all you need to get your point across.
-Let others do things themselves (or with a little help/support), even when you think you can do it faster or better. Remember, "better" is all relative, anyway.

That's all for now. I shall hopefully have some time soon to tell you about my fun weekend before I have ANOTHER fun weekend I get to write about!

xoxo
kosher waffle